I've started to write something, repeatedly, and then delete what I've written.  There are so many things I want to write about but I'm having trouble putting my thoughts and feelings into written words.

I suppose I should start with my 15-year-old daughter.  Ever since she was little, she's had problems with constipation and stomach pain.  We've been to the ER at least 3-4 times, because we thought she was having an appendicitis attack.  On the last trip, nearly a year ago, the doctor looked at her x-rays and said, "You're full of shit."  Ha ha.  Funny doc.  She told me to give her Milk of Magnesia and warm apple juice.  I did and it seemed to work.

On Sunday, my daughter had some ice cream (she is lactose intolerant and I'm guessing she neglected to take any Lactaid, with it, and most ice cream has High Fructose Corn Syrup/HFCS in it) and she had a can of "retro" Mountain Dew, made with sugar, not HFCS.  I am 99.9% sure the sugar is made from beets, not sugar cane.  My daughter has told me, before, that sodas make her sick.  This one made her VERY sick. 

She has missed three days of school, because her plumbing is all backed up.  Then she told me she's actually had the opposite problem, in the past, and she thinks she has FM, like me.  I've been giving her Milk of Magnesia (MoM) but she's not getting any relief.  I've skipped juice, because if she truly has FM, that would make the problem WORSE, not better.  Oranges are supposed to be "safe", in small quantities, with 1/3 cup orange juice equalling one orange.  I gave her a little warm orange juice, last night, with the remainder of the MoM.  She was still miserable, this morning, but insisted she could not miss another day of school.  I'm sitting here, waiting for the phone to ring.  I hope she can make it through the day.

Yesterday, we were watching a TV show, when a commercial promoting High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) as healthy and natural came on!  Are you kidding me??  I was very angry.  The rise in obesity in the U.S. completely parallels with the introduction of HFCS into our foods, which became the norm in the 1980s. 

Some researchers believe that HFCS may be causing Fructose Malabsorption.  That commercial really ticks me off!  How do I get a PSA on TV, warning people about HFCS?  What kind of non-profit group can I form, to fight those folks and help my FM friends, out there?

Update on the Australian restaurant.... I found a restaurant in Melbourne that serves low-fructose meals.  They also sell fructose-free ketcup, steak sauce, and other products, with the claim that they look and taste like they have tomatoes in them.  I've emailed them TWICE, with no response.  This is really frustrating.  If they don't want to sell and ship to the U.S., that's fine, but they could at least respond. 

Until next time....

Yummy Dinner

I'm in the process of moving my blog to a new home but it's going to take some time.  I still want to update you on my day-to-day living with FM.

My sister picked up some "Spring Roll Skins" at an Asian market.  They appear to be Vietnamese and they are made of rice!  I was surprised to find that they look and feel like sheets of hard plastic.  So, I set up a pan with some simmering water and dipped the skins in for about 3-4 seconds and then took them out with tongs.  You have to lay them out flat, immediately!  They don't need to be perfectly flat.  You're just going to roll them up!

I filled the skins with some leftover beef from last night's stew, some bean sprouts, and some cabbage that I just tore into small pieces.  Then, I poured a little what-free soy sauce on the filling and folded them up like skinny little burritos.  The skins wrap up, beautifully, because they're sticky.  I fried them in a little oil, rolling them to brown them on all sides, for just a few minutes.  Too long, and they started to fall apart.  Yes, they'd be crispier if deep fried, but I didn't want to add those kinds of calories and heart-clogging techniques.

My entire dinner was done in about 15 minutes, start to finish!  It was delicious and such a nice change from my usual "safe" foods.  Everything I ate was "safe" and it was scrumptious!  Don't be afraid to experiment.  You can do this!  Being Fructose Free doesn't have to mean flavor-free.

A Family Adjustment

My family means well.  They went shopping while I was at work, last weekend, and they picked up a few things for me.  The gluten-free Glutino pretzels are excellent!  No one would know they were gluten-free.  They do have corn STARCH but not the flour, so they seem to be okay for me.  The organic vegetable stock is a huge no-no.  I think hubby saw "organic" and that it had no wheat in it and assumed I could have it.  Sadly, no.  "Keyword honey?  VEGETABLE."

I discovered that my favorite wheat-free pancake mix has CORN FLOUR in it.  How did I not see that, before?  I was blaming my pure maple syrup on my reaction, when it could be the corn flour!  This was a forehead-smack moment.  Yes, the maple syrup could still be a factor but I need the right pancake mix to be able to test it.

I cooked up a batch of my favorite turkey burgers, last night.  I mix turkey with liquid smoke, salt, oregano, a little paprika, and I add sauteed mushrooms that I cook with butter and large chunks of onion and garlic.  This time, I added a little wine.  I remove the onion and garlic and chop up the mushrooms, before adding them to the turkey.  I made half with some provolone cheese in the middle (I would've used cheddar but we were out) and half without.  Yummy!  I usually eat them with some mayo mixed with a tiny bit of mustard.  I miss ketchup.

Yesterday, I had a good, reaction-free day.  This morning, the pancakes got me.  I want everyday to be reaction-free.  Will that ever happen?

Searching

I'm constantly searching for better wheat-free bread and new foods that are safe to eat.  If you've purchased gluten-free bread, you know it's expensive.  I found this site with great prices!  I have only tried one of their products - french bread rolls - and they were very good.  I found them at our local Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage.  I have emailed this company, to ask if they use cane or beet sugar in their products:

http://www.gilliansfoods.com/

I'm also trying to find an ice cream without corn syrup.  I thought this would be easy but it's not!  Cold Stone Creamery and Baskin Robbins both use corn syrup (and who knows which type of sugar).  Breyers All Natural Coffee ice cream seems promising but I emailed their parent company, Unilever, to ask about the sugar.

I found this site that lists products without HFCS.  It's very possible that many of these products have corn syrup in them, so you'll have to research individual products, before trying them:

http://www.stophfcs.com/list.html

I ran out of my homemade muffins and brought buttered/salted Quinoa to work, for breakfast.  I'm also out of turkey and beef patties.  I have a lot of cooking to do!  I hate cooking.  That's why having a disorder like this is so damn frustrating.

Quinoa!

I finally cooked up some Quinoa (pronounced, KEEN-wah) and what a nice surprise!  It cooks just like rice - double the water for the amount of Quinoa.  I replaced the water with Wolfgang Puck's Chicken Stock (it appears to be the safest of the broths available at the store) and I added about a half-a-cup of sliced mushrooms.  It was done in 20-25 minutes and had a nice, mild flavor.  I found it to be too bland, so I added about two teaspoons of "Move Over Butter" to my serving and a little salt.  Perfect!  Tomorrow, I may try it with some wheat-free soy sauce.  Beware of Quinoa pastas at the store.  They usually are made with wheat or corn flour, too!  Regular Quinoa, the grain, is fine.

Making dinner for my family proved to be quite a challenge, today.  I hadn't thawed any meat, so I grabbed a box of frozen Taquitos and a can of chili.  I smothered the Taquitos with the chili, a little cheddar, and some Mexican crumbling cheese, and baked it for an hour.  OH, it smelled so GOOD!  While serving up this poisonous dinner to my family, I took a small bite.  HEAVEN!  I took another small bite.  Would this have tasted this good, before my fructose-free diet?  Corn was my next challenge.  I took the smallest bite and I swear, it was the sweetest corn I've ever tasted in my entire life!  I hope I don't have to pay for those nibbles of naughty food, since I have to be at work by 6am.  At least I can sit here and enjoy my Quinoa.

Progress, not perfection....

The BBQ mixture my daughter created for me on a chicken dish was actually very good!  I still haven't attempted making a sauce with cauliflower but I will!

Dicyclomine has changed my life.  I no longer cramp up before, during, and especially after a trip to the bathroom!  I also make fewer trips to the bathroom, unless I've eaten something from the "Naughty List."

One of my staples is a muffin mix that I added some completely natural dried cranberries to.  My hubby picked up a different brand of wheat-free mix for me and it just isn't as good.  I added bluberries to it and I have to warm them, cut them in half, and add butter to them just to eat them.  When I find the mix I like, I'll share it, here. 

My attempt at making a wheat-free pizza dough was a complete disaster.  Someone in my Yahoo support group recommended a particular brand of mix that you can order online, so that's next on my list.

Relief and a BBQ Experiment

Yesterday, my doc went over all the results of my scope and colonoscopy, since you're usually too drugged up to remember what they tell you, right after.  I have inflammation in my esophagus, stomach, intestines, and colon.  She biopsied all four areas and they were completely normal.  That said, I have a hiatal hernia, which explains a lifetime of chronic and severe heartburn and reflux, which is irritating my tummy and esophagus.  I take medication that completely took away all the pain, so there's nothing more to do.

I told her the worst part of Fructose Malabsorption is the terrible cramping inside, whenever I use the bathroom (which was up to 10 times a day, now down to 3-5).  She wrote a scrip for an anti-spasmatic and it works!  I didn't realize that my insides were almost in a chronic state of cramping, until I took this medicine!  I've been pain-free all day!  It's wonderful!!!  I feel NORMAL.  It also helps cut back on the number of trips to the bathroom, needed.  BONUS!

While at work, my daughter messaged me to ask if I can have Chickpeas.  I told her no, because they're a legume, high in fructose.  She wrote, "Crap" back.  She and my sister heard my ideas for creating a mock BBQ sauce, using cauliflower, liquid smoke, mustard, possibly blueberries or juice, raw sugar, salt and pepper, and other things.  I guess they thought Chickpeas would be a better base and they made a BBQ chicken dinner with a newly created sauce.  I love them!  I'm going to have some, anyway, and eat a bunch of Smarties, to try and counteract the fructose.  Next time, we'll use the cauliflower.  I'll let you know how it turns out and I'll be sure to share my secret recipe, right here!

Pizza

I LOVE pizza.  It gave me such heartburn that I started ordering it without sauce, last year.  At the time, I wasn't aware that Fructose was a problem for me, so any trips to the bathroom after eating the wheat-flour crust with fructose-filled toppings was completely normal, for me.

While at Whole Foods last week, I picked up a box of Pizza Crust Mix.  I was so excited!  Tonight, I decided it was time to have some pizza!  That never happened.

The dough was so sticky, it looked like I had huge mittens on my hands.  I had my daughters grab my gluten-free flour and start pouring it into my hands and the bowl.  It just wasn't working.  As I used a brush to scrub this glue from my hands, my daughters started playing with the dough.  I sprayed their hands with cooking spray and they were able to make a ball.  Hopeful, I spread the dough on the pizza pan and prepared my green chile/cream cheese/mayo sauce (from the book, "Fructose Malabsorption - The Survival Guide"). 

One of my daughters noticed the cooking spray was dripping through the holes in the pizza pan.  I lifted the pan and found a big surprise - the dough was seeping through the holes, too!  It was all over the stove top, in squiggly little lines.  I was laughing hysterically!  My oldest daughter and I tried to flip the dough onto some foil, so we could line the pan with foil, but that was a disaster.  The dough was firmly lodged into those holes and it fell apart, when I tried to coax it with a spatula.  I was no longer laughing.

I only wanted some pizza.  I wanted to cry.  Since I've been cooking up meat patties for quick meals, I had a burger, AGAIN, with my green chile sauce on it.  It was good but it was a BURGER, again.  I just wanted some pizza.

Veggies are Evil

As a good little FMer, I was determined to have what my family was having for dinner - broiled beef strips and tempura veggies!  I looked up a gluten-free tempura batter recipe and we lightly browned my beef strips in butter with garlic cloves (slightly pressed/crushed for flavor) with a little salt and pepper added, and then we broiled them (is your mouth watering, yet?).  The tempura came out darker than the regular wheat flour version but it was a nice substitute.  I dipped both my beef and veggies in my wheat-free soy sauce and enjoyed a wonderful dinner!  That was then.  This is now.

I was ready to leave the house 30-minutes early for work, due to the icy roads, when dinner hit me.  I made three trips to the bathroom, costing me 20 minutes and causing a lot of discomfort.  Damn!  Who'd have thought a couple of carrot slices, small broccoli florets, and green beans would do that?  I took an Immodium AD tablet at work, just in case the reaction isn't over AND because I brought the leftovers for lunch.

Here's to a fructose-free Christmas dinner to you and yours and better research and information about FM in the coming year.  Yeah, I'll probably post that again on New Year's Eve. :-)

Fructans

Asparagus is a no-no.  I think.  I will have to try it one more time to be sure.... just not yet.  Ugh.  Looking up gluten-free tempura batter recipes, now.....

The grieving begins....

We went to a restaurant on Sunday night.  I asked for some easy modifications to a taco-style salad - no black beans, no tortilla strips, no ranch dessing... and some lime wedges on the side, please.  The salad arrived without the beans and strips but it was smothered in ranch.  They brought a new one to me and the ground beef was completely missing!  They brought the ground beef in a small bowl and it was loaded with tomatoes and onions.  I sighed and gave it to my family to dip tortilla chips in.

My main meal was chicken fajitas.  I ate the chicken and skipped the veggies and tortillas.  Perfect.  I even had a glass of Riesling (I found a great article online with fructose info on wines - http://www.examiner.com/x-15778-Jacksonville-FructoseFree-Food-Examiner~y2009m7d9-Alcohol-choices-for-fructose-free-living).  I also ate one roll of Smarties, just in case.

Yesterday, we made the drive to Whole Foods.  I was excited and hopeful that I might find some new foods to try.  While I paid high prices for some pizza and muffin mixes, I didn't find anything new that I wouldn't find in my local Sprouts or Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage.  That shopping trip left me in a really foul mood.  At bedtime, I was hungry.  I'd been craving cold cereal and poured a bowl of gluten-free-with-cane-juice-and-peanut-butter-puffs, knowing full well that I may not be able to tolerate the corn or the peanut butter.  When my husband commented on how big my bowl of cereal was, I started crying.  I blurted out that I didn't even know if I could eat this cereal but I wanted cereal and there aren't any cereals I can eat!  I guess it's finally getting to me.

The good news is that I didn't react to the cereal!  That gave me some hope and I bought another similar corn-based cereal, today.  This morning, I made my first gluten-free muffins and added some dried cranberries.  Not bad!  I tried to mimic Panda Express' Mandarin Sauce, using wheat-free soy sauce and failed.  Blech.  So, I looked up a copy-cat recipe to modify on my next try.

I did make 3-4 trips to the bathroom, today, but things weren't nearly as bad as they used to be.  I used to make up to 10 trips to the bathroom and be sick, tired, and just plain miserable all day.  I may never achieve "normal" but I need to get closer.  I'm really concerned about my high inflammation levels and am anxious to see my doctor, next week.

A Rough Day

Was it the "all natural" blackberry syrup I had on my gluten-free waffles or was the sugar in the rice crackers made from beets, not sugar cane?  I don't know but my insides are cramping so much, I think they want out!  My guess is the syrup, which has "corn syrup" first on the ingredients list.  Must've been the wrong grade.  It was worth a try (boy, was it GOOD, but not enough to eat any more of it).  I did email Roland foods, to ask if the sugar in their rice crackers is from cane or beets.  Please, please, PLEASE be from cane!

Hubby made beef patties, while I was at work.  MMMMmmmm!  Beef, liquid smoke, and chopped up mushrooms that were sauteed in butter with salt and slightly crushed garlic cloves (removed the cloves, after cooking).  Wonderful!  Now, if only I could find an adequate substitute for ketchup.  I checked out some Banana Ketchup recipes but most have TOMATO PASTE listed as an ingredient.  I found one that didn't but it had some other things that I'd have to modify.  If I hit on a good recipe, I'll be sure to share.

Eventually, I'd like to create a Fructose Free website, full of information and recipes, with product recommendations and tips for newbies.  It's a lofty goal, especially considering that I'm really a newbie, myself.  If someone else creates it, GREAT!  If not, I will.  Someday.

Whoops

The hubby left chocolate-dipped pineapple chunks on the counter this morning, all ready to eat with toothpicks in them.  I had maybe... 8.  Minor reaction... but enough to keep me in the ladies room at work, long enough to miss my on-air break.  Not cool.  No more pierced pineapple treats for me.

Success!

My older sister lives with us and she made a roast with veggies in the slow cooker, on Tuesday.  I boldly used the juice on my Fructose-Free turkey burger, with no ill effects.  Last night, I decided to eat some of the roast and the potatoes, skipping the carrots and chunks of onion.  It was delicious and I had no reaction to it!  It was roast beef, potatoes, carrots, large chunks of onions, and cabbage, seasoned with a little salt and pepper, cooked in a slow cooker filled half way with water and cooked all day on low.  YUM!

I posted this in my Fructose Malabsorption support group, on Yahoo, and I feel it's important to share with you:

Most folks don't realize the damage FM can do to your body. I could easily dig into whatever side dishes my family wants to eat and just take Immodium AD to ease the symptoms... but I've already been suffering with a very high level of inflammation in my body (SED rate is 90, CRP is 3.8), which I know can lead to heart problems and other issues. I've developed an irregular heartbeat in the last 2-3 months and need to go see my doctor about it - it could be related.

Another member responded about the serious medical issues this has caused her, including hair loss, inability to absorb vitamins and nutrients, anemia, Osteopena and Fibromyalgia, and hospitalization when doctors thought she was showing signs of a stroke, heart attack, and even Diabetes.

If food is making you sick, please see a Gastroenterologist, as soon as possible.  Self diagnosis is not a good idea, since you may have other, more serious problems that a doctor needs to rule out.

=================================================
I am not a doctor or medical professional.  Views expressed in this blog are purely personal, based on my own experience.  If you are suffering symptoms of Fructose Malabsorption, please see a qualified Gastroenterologist or your family doctor.

What is Fructose Malabsorption?

From www.healthhype.com:

Human intestine can’t absorb unlimited amount of fructose, but most people can absorb 25-50 g of fructose per sitting (1). By definition, inability to absorb 25 g of fructose per sitting is considered as fructose malabsorption. Unabsorbed fructose may cause diarrhea and bloating (constipation for some).

Fructose malabsorption (FM) was previously known as ‘dietary fructose intolerance’ (DFI), but this term should be avoided to prevent confusion with hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI).

What Is Fructose?

Fructose is a monosacharide or single sugar, also called fruit sugar. Fructose has the same chemical formula as glucose (C6H12O6), but different molecular structure. They both have about the same caloric value, but fructose is sweeter. Fructose is not essential nutrient for human, meaning everyone can live without fructose, so “fructose deficiency” doesn’t exist.

======================================================

Hello! My name is Joyce and I'm living with Fructose Malabsorption. I have suffered from severe heartburn and increasingly severe and chronic diarrhea for many years (decades). Finally, I know why.

Eating low-to-Fructose-free is difficult, no doubt about it. It's easier to avoid foods with any type of Fructose, like Corn Syrup, Polyols (anything ending with "tol"), or fruit on the label than it is to avoid more troubling Fructans. Each Fructose Malaborptioner, or "FMer for short, has their own tolerance levels for how much Fructose or Fructans they can eat.

Which foods are high in Fructans? According to the book, "Fructose Malabsorption - The Survival Guide" they are:

• Artichoke
• Asparagus (some can tolerate)
• Barley (very young)
• Chives
• Garlic
• Leek
• Onion
• Rye
• Wheat
• Some sources list banana

FMers can usually turn to Gluten-Free breads, to safely avoid Wheat and Rye (my favorite sandwich bread is by Udi's, although it's tiny, compared to regular bread). Most FMers can safely eat pure cane sugar, as opposed to regular table sugar, which is made from beets. Brown sugar is bad. Artificial sweeteners are a no-no. We can usually cook with large chunks of onions and intact garlic cloves but must remove them, before eating (not everyone can do this, either). Most spices are off-limits. Salt should be used lightly.

Did you know that McDonald's injects high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) into their CHICKEN? Most salad dressing have HFCS or objectionable spices. Salad is dangerous, because iceberg lettuce has Fructose. Spinach and many dark, leafy "spring mix" options are a better choice. Most vinegars are out, too. I'm about to try rice wine vinegar on a salad today. I'll let you know how it goes.

A new book came out, recently, that provides terrific info for FMers, including excellent lists to follow. The book is "Fructose Malabsorption - The Survival Guide" by Debra & Bob Ledford. I can't recommend this book, strongly enough.

Next time, I'll share what I eat... so far. I'm still on a learning curve and I don't have all the answers. I'm hoping this blog will give you and me an opportunity to share what we've learned and what we're going through. I feel support is important and I hope we can help each other.